Adilabad: Collector Sikta Patnaik said handcraft melas would help give exposure to works of artisans to the external world. She along with Khanapur MLA Rekha Naik inaugurated a day-long tribal artisan mela conducted by Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA)-Utnoor in collaboration with Tribal Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (TRIFED) at KB Complex in Utnoor mandal centre on Tuesday.
The Collector said ITDA-Utnoor was taking steps to provide marketing facilities to tribal artisans in selling their works in the country and abroad. She asked officials to create marking facilities for Gondi paintings, tribal arts, crafts and ethnic dishes such as Mahua Laddu, chikki, Banjara attires and other handicrafts of the tribal artisans.
ITDA- Project Officer K Varun Reddy assured marketing facilities to handcrafts produced by tribal artisans and eatables made by members of tribal self-help groups. He advised the artisans to raise their awareness over demand for their works in the market and promised to extend training to the artisans in catering to the needs of the customers.